Expandable box with non-removable cover



Nov. 22, 1966 R. v. BURDICK, JR

EXPANDABLE BOX WITH NON-REMOVABLE COVER Filed March 6, 1964 FIG. 2

FIG.

INVENTOR. P44??? k 2022/06, .74.

QM 404w United States Patent 3,286,872 EXPANDABLE BOX WITH NON-REMOVABLE COVER Ralph V. Burdick, In, Colonial Green, Loudonville, N.Y. Filed Mar. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 350,010 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-41) Often it is desirable for particular applications and uses a to provide a box or container having a cover movable toward and away from the box bottom but fixed in such a way that it cannot be removed therefrom. Such a configuration has many uses, such as savings banks, strong boxes, food containers, etc. The particular embodiment disclosed herein is designed specifically for use as an ant trap although this is by way of example only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

The invention herein disclosed has as its principal object the furnishing of an expandable box with a nonremovable cover and a method of manufacturing the same.

An expandable box with a non-removable cover and a method of manufacturing the same embodying the invention is described herein with references to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an expandable box with a non-removable cover with the cover expanded from the bottom but attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the box shown in FIG. 1 with the cover removed from the box bottom in an intermediate step in the manufacturing process;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are sequential segmentary crosssectional views during the manufacturing process and during assembly of the box cover and bottom of the box; and

FIG. 6 is an elevation of an alternate embodiment of the invention with the hidden portions of the outline of the box bottom shown in dotted lines.

In FIGS. 1-5 a box 10 constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention is shown consisting of box bottom section 11 and cover section 12. Bottom section 11 includes a circular bottom wall 14 and upwardly projecting cylindrical side wall 15 and an outwardly projecting grippable portion or rim 16. Cover section 12 includes a circular top wall 17, a downwardly projecting cylindrical skirt 18 with greater and lesser diameter sections 19 and 20, respectively, and a plurality of circular slots or holes 21 formed in the side wall 15.

The bottom and top sections of the box can be fabricated from any suitable material; however, a resilient metal is preferred. It is necessary only that the upper peripheral edge 22 of side wall 15 be deformable or resilient.

Sections 19 and of skirt 18 are substantially parallel and joined by section 23 which provides an inwardly and upwardly facing shoulder 24 at the juncture of the two sections. The inside diameter of skirt section 20 is slightly greater than the outside diameter of side wall 15 providing therewith a snug fit and allowing movement of the cover section and the bottom section of the box longitudinally thereof. The top wall 17 is joined with section 19 of the skirt by means of a downwardly facing U- channel 25, the base of which is raised above top wall 17. Top wall 17 has a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of sidewall 15 so that as shown in FIG. 3 when the box bottom and cover are telescoped, the upper peripheral Patented Nov. 22, 1966 ice edge of side wall 15 abuts shoulder 26 which is arcuate and facing downwardly beneath the base of channel 25.

In the manufacture of the box the parts are formed as described above and the cover section 12 is placed over the bottom section 11 as shown in FIG. 3 with the upper peripheral edge 22 of side wall 15 abutting shoulder 26. Force is then applied in the direction of the arrows indicated by the letters A and B in FIG. 4 forcing the edge 22 against arcuate shoulder 26 and slidingly over said shoulder outwardly until the peripheral portion 22 embraces the base of channel 25. As seen in FIG. 4 the outside diameter of the increased diameter portion of the side wall which is the now flared peripheral edge 22 is of a dimension greater than the inside diameter of section 20 of skirt 18 but, of course, less than the inside diameter of section 19. The lesser diameter section 20 overlies openings 21 blocking them from view and the cover section rests on the bottom section with peripheral edge 22 embracing the base of channel 25. Upon attempting to re move cover section 12 flared portion 22 embraces shoulder 24 which is the knuckle or point of juncture between the greater and lesser diameter skirt sections 19 and 20 preventing removal of the cover section. The vertical dimension of skirt section 19 is greater than the vertical dimension of the flared peripheral edge 22 allowing relative longitudinal movement of the cover section and the bottom section between the one stopping point where flared portion 22 embraces shoulder 23 and the second stopping point where flared portion 22 embraces the peripheral edge of top wall 17 and channel 25. The expanded position of cover and bottom sections is shown in FIG. 5 wherein the openings 21 are exposed to view.

In FIG. 6 an alternate embodiment is shown wherein like parts bear the same numerals as were given the parts in the description of the first embodiment; the difierence between the first and second embodiment being that the grippable portion 36 in FIG. 6 appears as a flange on box bottom 11' in the plane of bottom wall 14'.

The invention thus described has many applications. One in particular would be the utilization of the box as an ant trap with the poison Within the box and openings 21 being of the familiar ant hole size. When placing the ant trap in position the user of the box would raise the cover exposing the openings 21 to view and when desired would lower the cover covering the openings and completely sealing the inside of the box from the outer atmosphere. Thus, an easily used ant trap is provided wherein the openings need not be punched in the side wall but are available with easy exposure to view while preventing the cover from being removed exposing the poisons within the box to children or access by domestic animals.

The invention, of course, has many applications such as providing slots 21 of a configuration to receive coins or other objects.

Thus, among others, the several objects of the invention as specifically aforenoted, are achieved. Obviously, numerous changes in construction and rearrangement of parts might be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

I claim:

1. A box including a bottom portion and a cover portion having a bottom Wall and a top wall respectively, a bottom skirt and a cover skirt respectively extending from said bottom wall and said top wall with said bottom skirt telescoped within said cover skirt, said bottom skirt being formed with a hole therethrough, a first position of said cover portion in which said cover skirt overlies said hole, a second position of said cover portion in which said hole is exposed to view, an outwardly projecting flared 3 edge formed at the upper edge of said bottom skirt, said hole being disposed between said outwardly projecting edge and said bottom Wall, an increased diameter portion of said cover, skirt receiving said outwardly projecting edge of said bottom skirt and shoulders formed at the extremities of said increased diameter portion providing stop means with said outwardly projecting zone.

2. A box in accordance with claim 1 in which the juncture of said top wall and said cover skirt forms a References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Hall 20642 Stolk 220--8 Wilcox.

Luckett 220'8 Dukehart 2208 Coyle 113120 West 1l3-120 IHERON E. CONDQN, Primary Examiner. LOUIS G. MANCENE, 'Examiner.

15 G. T. HALL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BOX INCLUDING A BOTTOM PORTION AND A COVER PORTION HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND A TOP WALL RESPECTIVELY, A BOTTOM SKIRT AND A COVER SKIRT RESPECTIVELY EXTENDING FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL AND SAID TOP WALL WITH SAID BOTTOM SKIRT TELESCOPED WITHIN SAID COVER SKIRT, SAID BOTTOM SKIRT BEING FORMED WITH A HOLE THERETHROUGH, A FIRST POSITION OF SAID COVER PORTION IN WHICH SAID COVER PORTION IN WHICH SAID A SECOND POSITION OF SAID COVER PORTION IN WHICH SAID HOLE IS EXPOSED TO VIEW, AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING FLARED EDGE FORMED AT THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM SKIRT, SAID HOLE BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID OUTWARDLY PROJECTING EDGE AND SAID BOTTOM WALL, AN INCREASED DIAMETER PORTION OF SAID COVER SKIRT RECEIVING SAID OUTWARDLY PROJECTING EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM SKIRT AND SHOULDERS FORMED AT THE EXTREMITIES OF SAID INCREASED DIAMETER PORTION PROVIDING STOP MEANS WITH SAID OUTWARDLY PROJECTING ZONE. 